Unique identification guide is effective, filled with color photos, and easy to use in winter, spring, summer, and fall Field-tested by forestry experts Identify trees in any season, not just when they are in full leaf. This field-tested guide features color photos showing bark; branching patterns; fruits, flowers, or nuts; and overall appearance; as well as leaf color and shape--all chosen specifically to illustrate trees in spring, summer, winter, and fall. Accompanying text describes common locations and identifying characteristics. Created for in-the-field or at-home use, this guide includes an easy-to-use key that will help you put a name to any tree by flipping only a few pages. Covers every common tree in eastern North America.

Product Description

About the Author

Michael D. Williams worked as an area forester with the Tennessee Division of Forestry. He was widely known for his uncanny ability to explain complicated forestry concepts in terms that were fresh, simple, and practical enough for even novices to understand.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)

Amazon.com:
49 reviews

88 of 93 people found the following review helpful

good packaging, mediocre contentApril 26 2008

By
Sam Thayer
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Paperback

I was really excited to get this book. As I read it my opinion gradually declined. While it is a useful book, I have seen much better tree books, such as Michigan Trees (for those who live in the Great Lakes or Northeast). The book only cover the larger trees, for the most part. Many of the photos are of remarkably poor quality, and they tend not to show many good identifying characteristics. The writing seems disorganized, and the text does not go into detail about reliable identifying characteristics. The ranges given are extremely general.

Most of all, I was disappointed to find the book containing errors that seem inexcusable in a guide of this type. For example, the section on slippery elm says "Slicing through the bark at a gradual angle will usually expose thin layers of white inner bark divided by the thicker reddish brown bark, as is usually found in the elms." This is totally wrong: the ABSENCE of white layers in the bark is the feature used to tell slippery elm from the other elms. The photo he shows are of American elm bark, as can be clearly seen by the light creamy layers in the bark. How can this guide help people identify trees if the author can't even identify them?

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful

One of the Best ID Books on TreesMay 17 2007

By
Guy Zimmerman
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase

I am a forester in TN and have several tree ID books. This is one of the better Tree ID books dealing with SE US trees. And it is a bargin.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

Excellant ResourceOct. 30 2007

By
Bonnie L. Thompson
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Paperback

Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide To Eastern North AmericaI bought this book because my 7th grader was required to identify 25 tree leaves and create a leaf identification book for his Science project. He was given the list of trees we were to look for, then gather the sample leaves and label. "Identifying Trees" provided a wide variety of basic instruction on the process of identifying trees and their leaves, the most likey location of the trees, and colorful pictures to make identifcation easy. I loved the book and am happy to have it as an addition to my personal library.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

poor photography and choice of leaf samplesJune 16 2014

By
R.J.
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase

I don't like giving poor reviews, but I have to warn people this is a mediocre guide at best. The reason I bought this book was because I wanted photographs instead of drawings like in Trees of North America from Frank Brockman. I lost that book and wanted to replace it with a better one, but this is not even close. In short I will say some pictures are good and the book is useable, but most are non typical leaf samples that are degraded either by poor picture quality, poor lighting, damaged, dead or dormant leaves. Buy at own risk.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

Great Info, Great Pictures, Great BookNov. 10 2011

By
Agrctlr
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase

I am a high school agriculture teacher, and part of my curriculum is forestry. I've used this book several times because there are trees I have a hard time identifying. Most every tree I've ever come across is listed in this book. My students even use it for their tree ID projects in class. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a tree ID manual.